When A Volcano Meets A Torndao
by iheartcoco
Summary: Teddy Lupin had never met a girl quite like Victoire Weasley. Documenting their whirlwind romance from their first time of meeting. Will contain strong language in some chapters and mild adult themes in later chapters.
1. Informally Introduced

**I know I have _Fix_ and _The Traitor, The Wolf, The Prince, And The Flower_ on the go, but I wanted to practice my talents on another pairing and when I got the idea for this fic I couldn't let it go. I promise to continue with my other fics, taking on more jobs than I should is something I'm quite used to. Don't forget how much I love reviews! **

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_4th July 2018_

It was summer and the Burrow was playing backdrop to yet another Weasley wedding. The redheads had swarmed the unusually tidy garden at eight o'clock that morning, and now, fourteen hours later, everybody was relaxed and happily drunk, the newly weds twirling around the dance floor. Twenty year old Teddy Lupin was sat alone at one of the small round tables, half a bottle of butter beer caressed in his hands and a content smile on his lips. He wasn't officially related to the Weasley's, but he was like a son to Harry and Ginny, and was so never denied an invitation to any of the family events.

He adored all of his surrogate family. True, he'd have given anything to have lived his life alongside his past deceased parents, the parents Teddy couldn't even remember, but he knew that he had the next best thing with the family he was part of now. He'd spent his childhood living with his Grandmother, Andromeda, and as she grew older he had spent more time staying at his Godfathers house.

"Alright, Ted?" Harry asked him now, walking over with a plastered Ron hanging off his shoulder.

Teddy grinned as he shifted aside to let the two of them join him. Harry dropped Ron unceremoniously in to a chair, where he fell with his head slumped on the table and did not move. Harry sighed.

"Never could handle his liquor," He muttered.

"Oh I'm sure I can remember a few times when _you _were off your face," Teddy teased, "Did you ever tell Ginny about that time with the Muggle stripper and the jar of-"

"Hey," Harry said abruptly, "I thought we agreed not to mention that? To anyone. Ever."

"Whatever you say," Teddy winked.

Harry sighed, surveying the dancers through his glasses. "Thought you'd be up there, Ted," He said, "Dancing with some hapless pretty girl. Nobody caught your eye?"

Teddy lightly thumped his Godfather on the arm. He shrugged. "Nah. I'm not really looking to date right now, not after..." Teddy swallowed painfully. He still couldn't bring himself to say Amelia's name.

"You gotta let it go, mate," Harry sighed, patting Teddy consolingly on his shoulder, "Get out there. Charm someone."

Teddy snorted. "Sure. Excuse me, I need to go to the toilet," He said, getting up to make his way over the the portable toilet cubicles set up at the end of the garden.

As he approached them a dancing, amber light caught his eye. The light was tiny and circular, and every now again it would flick out of sight. Teddy eventually realised that it was the end of a cigarette. Curiously he took a detour over to the hedges to uncover the smokers identity. A few steps closer and he realised that it was Victoire Weasley, huddled up inside a borrowed gentle mans blazer and shooting furtive glances towards the wedding guests in the distance. Teddy had seen Victoire a few times over the years, but they had never been formally introduced. All he knew was that she was seventeen and attended Beauxbatons in France. She only ever came over to England in the holidays, and from what Teddy had heard she was something of a wild child.

"I blame the school," He had heard Ginny's mother mutter to her one evening, "Why Fleur insisted Victoire go there I'll never know. If she'd of stayed here in England and gone to Hogwarts we'd all be able to keep an eye on her."

Victoire looked an awful lot like her mother, Teddy observed. She was tall and strikingly thin with a waterfall of silvery blonde hair cascading down her back. Her beauty made her seem older than she actually was, which Teddy was sure had helped her a lot during her shenanigans in France.

Teddy looked over at her now and felt compelled to go over for a chat, something he blamed on her sensational beauty and the fact that he was slightly tipsy. He quietly walked over and crept up behind Victoire before muttering down her ear, "Should you really be smoking that?"

Victoire jumped, causing her cigarette to sprinkle a flurry of ash towards the ground. She span around and scowled at Teddy. "Jesus, do you make a habit of pouncing on people like that?" She snapped. Her accent had a French edge to it.

"Only people who look like they're up to no good," Teddy said with a grin.

"Who are you, one of my cousins or something?" Victoire muttered. She looked annoyed and kept taking quick pulls on her cigarette.

"No, just a family friend," Teddy replied, "Are you aware you aren't even inhaling that properly?"

"Leave me alone," Victoire said, "I'm sick of people interfering. I don't even bloody want to be here."

"How come you didn't stay in France?" Teddy asked lightly.

Victoire narrowed her eyes. "How do you...?" She shook her head, "I'm coming to stay over here - permanently. My parents decided to make me spend my last year of school at Hogwarts, though I'm at a complete loss to see how that's going to help me."

"Hogwarts is a good school," Teddy remarked.

"So I've heard," Victoire said, then she sighed, "Still, I'd much rather stay at Beauxbatons. Hogwarts looks a real bore. Apparently they only let you out of the grounds every few months or so, to that crappy little village. Hagsmeade, or something, isn't it?"

"And you're a girl who doesn't do boundaries, I take it?" Teddy asked.

Victoire's mouth twitched in to a smile. "I like to enjoy myself, that's all," She said, "_Carpe diem_, and all that." She waved her hand through the dusky nights air.

"You should probably make the most of this summer then," Teddy suggested.

"I plan to," Victoire said. She suddenly reached out and offered Teddy her cigarette, which was almost smoked down to the cork.

Teddy hesitated. He had tried smoking only once in his life, during the summer of his fifth year at Hogwarts, and he really hadn't liked it. However he knew that explaining this to Victoire would probably be met with some scathing little comment, and now they finally seemed to be getting on he wanted to impress her. Smiling like he knew what he was doing, Teddy picked the cigarette from her slim fingers and took a drag. The urge to cough over powered him.

"Sorry, I don't think I got your name," Victoire said, unaware of this.

"Teddy Lupin," Teddy managed to say, his voice hoarse as he desperately tried to regain control over his breathing.

"Oh! So _you're _Ginny's husbands Godson," Victoire said, nodding.

"Yeah," Teddy said, passing the cigarette back over with no further wishes to take more drags on it, "I'm practically Ginny and Harry's third son."

"I see," Victoire said, finishing off the cigarette before throwing it over the hedge, "I best return this jacket to my Uncle George. You don't happen to know a spell to make the smoke smell disappear from it, do you?"

Teddy retrieved his wand from the pocket of his dress robes and muttered an incantation, waving his wand over Victoire's jacket. She took a cautious sniff then smiled at him.

"Thanks. I suppose I'll be seeing more of you now I'm staying," She said.

"Yeah, probably," Teddy agreed.

"_Au revoir_," Victoire sang, wiggling her fingers at Teddy before turning and heading back to the marquee.

Teddy licked the taste of the cigarette from his lips as he watched her walk away.


	2. Excuses To Yourself

**Wow, I was really surprised on how much response this story got in such a short space of time. For those of you who left reviews, thank you. I just want to point out that I got my calculations wrong so I'm changing the date of this fic from the summer of 2018 to the summer of 2017, which shouldn't make much of a drastic difference but hey-ho.**

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The Saturday afternoon after the wedding saw Teddy bounding through the Potter's front door, laden with a small brightly coloured gift bag and a rucksack. "Where's the Birthday girl?" He called loudly as he closed the door with his foot and tossed his rucksack near the umbrella stand to collect later.

A low patter of footsteps sounded and moments later Lily appeared. Her large brown eyes were brimming with excitement as she jumped in Teddy's arms. Out of all of his "siblings" Teddy was particularly close to Lily. He wasn't sure why this was exactly, maybe it was because she was the youngest and the only girl, which made Teddy feel more protective over her than he did James and Albus. Lily lowered herself back to the floor and eagerly eyed the sparkly bag in Teddy's hands.

"Happy Birthday," Teddy said cheerfully, passing it over to her.

Lily carefully opened up the bag and withdrew the bundle of pink tissue paper, from which she unwrapped a delicate white gold bangle. "Wow, Teddy I love it!" She cried.

"You're a decade old now, Lils," Teddy said, "Getting on a bit. I thought I'd get something you could keep for a while."

"Its beautiful," Lily smiled.

Teddy was about to speak when he noticed the light smears of pink blusher on Lily's cheek. "Lily Luna Potter, are you wearing _make up_?" He gasped.

"Yes," Lily replied coyly, "I _am _a young lady now. Victoire did it for me."

"Vic..." Teddy gasped, "Victoire Weasley's here?"

"Yes," Lily said, nonpulsed, "She offered to help mum make the food before everybody else got here this afternoon."

She smoothed down the tissue paper and placed it back in the gift back before disappearing back down the hall. Teddy followed. He could hear voices wafting from the kitchen and upon entering saw Ginny stood by the kitchen sink, rinsing off a crystal glass plate, and at the little scrubbed table sat Victoire. She was leaning back in her chair, legs delicately crossed, exuding nonchalance. She flicked a glance at Teddy as he walked in, as if she wasn't even vaguely interested in his arrival.

"What are you doing here?" Teddy blurted without meaning to.

Victoire raised an eyebrow. "Nice to see you, too," She said coolly.

"Vic offered to help out with the food," Ginny explained happily.

Teddy noticed the flash of annoyance in Victoire's eyes at the abreviation and guessed that preferred to be called by her full name. Lily sat down beside her and pulled a case filled with make up towards her. "Can you show me how to put on the eye shadow now?" She asked.

"Calm down on that make up," Ginny cautioned, "Your father will have a fit when he sees you."

"Nonsense, it won't be long until she's learning to walk in heels," Victoire said gaily, selecting a pot of shimmering purple powder. Ginny pressed her lips in to a tight line and returned her attention to the plate.

A newspaper lay on the table and Teddy sat down to read it, trying hard not to look at Victoire. The words jiggled around on the paper as her voice played like a song down his ears, making it hard to concentrate. Every now and then she'd brush his arm when she moved, something Teddy wasn't so sure was an accident. He was almost relieved when other people began to arrive, bearing gifts and sunny smiles. Teddy lost himself in a conversation with Arthur Weasley, who was dismayed to have finally gone completely bald, before he noticed Victoire slip unnoticed through the back door in to the garden. He excused himself to follow her.

It took him a while to spot Victoire crouched behind the garden shed, shrouded by a haze of blue smoke. She grinned as he made his way over. "Are you stalking me, or something?" She said. Teddy raised an eyebrow.

"I could ask you the same question," He said.

Victoire sighed. "Fine, I'll admit it. I came here today because I knew I'd see you. Happy now?" She asked.

"I didn't think our meeting had made that much of an impression on you," Teddy said, leaning back against the shed wall.

"You're the only person who hasn't treated me like a bomb that's about to go off," Victoire said bitterly.

"I don't believe in judging people," Teddy shrugged. Victoire didn't pass comment, and the conversation slowly drifted off along with the smoke. They both stood in comfortable silence for a moment, enjoying the feel of the late July sun beating down on them. Teddy watched as Victoire stubbed out her cigarette only to light another. "Are you an actual dedicated smoker?" He asked, "Or is it something you use as an excuse to get away?"

Victoire smiled. "It's something to do while I'm out here. Its a reason to escape. Sort of an excuse to myself, I suppose," She said.

"And why do you feel the need to escape?" Teddy said.

"I don't like the vibes I get," Victoire explained with a frown.

"Vibes," Teddy repeated, not completely sure if he was following.

"What exactly have people heard about me?" Victoire asked suddenly. Her voice sounded oddly quiet and she didn't hold Teddy's gaze as she awaited his answer.

Teddy sighed. He decided to be honest. "That you sneak out of your dorm at night to go to parties and frolic around with older men, and you spend more time in detention than you do in lessons," He said.

"Thought as much," Victoire mumbled.

"Is it true?" Teddy enquired.

"I do sneak out at night," Victoire confessed, "Like I said, I like to have fun."

"And the men part?" Teddy prompted.

She shot him a dark look.

"Listen, Victoire, you shouldn't be so cynical about people. You're part of a very large, caring family, and people worry, that's all," Teddy explained, "Give them a chance."

"Like they give me a chance?" Victoire responded scathingly, "You don't need to tell me all of that, Teddy. I understand why they treat me the way they do. They don't _know_ me, and I don't know them. I come home every holiday and its like my own family are strangers. I don't belong with them, not really."

"I know how that feels," Teddy said quietly.

"Where are your family, Teddy?" Victoire asked, adopting a more gentle tone. She had gone from being slightly irritated to all of the sudden caring. Teddy couldn't keep up with her.

"My parents both died when I was a few weeks old, in the second war," Teddy said, picking at the loose chips of wood on the shed wall, "So I only know what people tell me. My dad was a werewolf, but he was a good guy. I know I never knew him but I- I respect him. He's the reason I never judge."

Victoire smiled. _"You're_ a good guy, Teddy. And if you had any sense you'd stay away from me," She said.

Teddy, who thought that this was a strange statement for somebody to make about themselves, was taken aback by this. He didn't quite know what to say, but Victoire had quickly managed to find them a distraction. She peered around the shed towards the kitchen window.

"They're bringing out the cake, we had better go," She announced.

"After you," Teddy said.

"_Merci_," Victoire quipped. She discarded of her cigarette and made to walk away.

"Oh, wait," Teddy said. He inched closer to her and drew his wand, performing the same spell he had used at the wedding to take the smell of cigarettes go away.

"Good thinking," Victoire grinned, "Maybe you do have some sense after all."


	3. Monday Morning

Mondays weren't Teddy's cup of tea. They summoned the return of work, and although Teddy didn't mind his job it wasn't one he expressively loved. He worked in a Muggle department store, the pay wasn't bad, his fellow staff members were alright to be with, but Teddy felt that his true calling lay in the wizarding world. The only problem was that he didn't know what exactly he wanted to _do_, and the department store was something to occupy himself with until he made his mind up.

He walked in to work on that Monday morning and went straight to the locker room, as usual, to stow his rucksack away. The room was almost empty when he arrived. Almost. And the person, stood in front of the mirror hanging on the back of the door and preening herself, was somebody that Teddy no longer felt comfortable around. There was a pause as Teddy stared at Amelia and she stared back, and then, swishing back her curly blond hair, his ex-girlfriend turned around and walked straight out of the room without a word.

Teddy watched her walk away and felt slightly forlorn. The worst part about the downfall of their three month long relationship was that now it had ended Amelia preferred to act as if it had never happened, walking around with her nose in the air like the two of them had never seen each other naked, like they hadn't been anything to each other at all.

Teddy's moment of deep thinking was interrupted by the arrival of Sid. Sid was tall and gangly with a strong Cockney accent, shaggy sand coloured hair, and one ear piercing. He was a huge stoner and possessed the dirtiest mind of anybody Teddy had ever known. He also happened to be Teddy's best Muggle friend.

"Alright, Ted?" Sid said jauntily, loping in to the room and heading towards the same locker he used every morning.

"Been better," Teddy said, not untruthfully, "You?"

"Well as it happens Teddy boy_ I've_ never been fucking better," Sid announced, grinning ear from to ear, "Managed to attract the attention of a very pretty lady friend over the weekend. We're going out tonight, actually."

"Good for you," Teddy said, in what he hoped was a supportive friend manner.

"What about that wedding?" Sid enquired, "Did you meet anyone there?"

A genuine smile managed to reach Teddy's lips. He was happy at that moment to give the following answer. "Yep," He said, turning coyly to face the mirror. He tweaked a strand of his chocolate brown hair. It had been his colour of choice since April, but he knew that he could easily wake up tomorrow and decide to go blond.

"And?" Sid prompted, impatience ringing in his tone.

"My Godfather's niece," Ted said with a shrug.

"Jesus, Ted, spare me all of the details why don't you?" Sid tutted, "What's she like, this bird of yours? Big tits, long legs, nice arse?"

"She's nice," Teddy said, "French, blond, attractive."

"Blind?" Sid chipped in.

"Fuck off," Teddy muttered. Sid chuckled to himself and patted Teddy on the back, propelling them out of the door and on to the corridor towards the elevators that would take them to the shop floor.

"Ted, I need to ask you a favour," Sid announced whilst they stood alone in the elevator, watching the light travel from one number to the next as they whirred downwards.

"Oh?" Teddy said.

Sid nodded. "Yeah. This girl, she's a bit... Well, she isn't very good at making conversation. She giggles a lot, basically at anything I say. It's a bit annoying but you know..."

"She's fit," Teddy finished.

"Exactly," Sid said, "Will you be a mate and come along tonight? It won't be so hard to find things to say when there's more than just the two of us. Bring your new friend, if you like."

Teddy contemplated this. Sid really did look desperate, and he _did _want an excuse to spend more time with Victoire. He wasn't sure how their relationship would fare well in the future if the only time they ever spoke was when she decided to go outside for a smoke. So he smiled. "Sure, why not?" He said.

The only problem was that if Victoire said no he was going to be spending the night sandwiched between Sid and his gigglng conquest. And if she said no, did that mean she wasn't as interested in him as Teddy first assumed? Was he being too eager in asking her out this early on in the game?

A lot was hanging on Victoire's answer.


	4. French Insults

She said yes.

Teddy was very surprised by this, because his invitation had arrived at quite short notice - didn't girls usually like to know about nights out months in advance, so that they had the time to buy a new dress and fix their hair or whatever? - but he was pleased all the same. He used his lunch hour as an excuse to sneak away in order to Apparate home and write Victoire a letter. The response arrived not even five minutes later, which made Teddy assume that Victoire had nothing better to do with her day, and that the glimpse of anything that promised some sort of fun was appealing to her.

Sid explained that the "night out" would consist of going to the grand opening of a new night club in London city centre, with the inveitable possibility of moving on to a shabby kebab shop that served food which only looked edible to the drunken eye afterwards. With something to look forward at the end of it, Teddy's Monday work shift seemed to drag aimlessly on throughout the day. When the time finally came for him to clock off he left immediately before anybody could tell him otherwise.

He spent the afternoon tidying up his flat, something he did once in a blue moon, and then sprawled out on the sofa to watch the nights soaps before rousing himself to get a shower. After washing his hair and spraying himself liberally with aftershave, Teddy stood in front of his open wardrobe, a damp towel slung around his hips. He reached forwards and fished out his best pair of jeans, threw them on top of his bed spread, and then browsed for a shirt. Sid was quite a snappy dresser, and whenever entering his company Teddy felt the need to make an effort himself. He eventually settled on a checkered blue Hollister shirt, because it was new but mostly because it was the only garment that didn't look as if it needed a whiz over with the iron.

On the last minute Sid had persuaded Teddy to play host to a pre-night out drinks party. Sid arrived at seven o'clock with a four pack of beers and a bag of grass, accompanied by a petite brunette girl who stood grinning at Teddy but failed to say anything. Sid settled himself on the sofa and began rolling up a joint.

"Where's your girl then?" He enquired.

Teddy looked nervously at his watch. He had informed Victoire that they would all be meeting for a beer or two before they went on to the club, and that it wasn't essential that she came, but he had received no reply and was so clueless to if she would turn up at the flat or not. And then, at quarter past, there was a knock on the door. Teddy eagerly went to answer it.

Victoire was dressed in a figure hugging black dress which was quite plain but on the body of Victoire looked fit for a ball. In her hand she held a bottle of wine and as Teddy looked her up and down she smiled with ruby red lips. "Are you going to let me in or were you planning on standing here to admire me all night?" She said.

Teddy mumbled something which passed for an apology and stepped aside to admit her. Victoire drank in every nook and cranny of Teddy's flat as she walked through it, which made Teddy feel slightly anxious. When she entered the living room Sid's eyes almost popped out of his head. Again Victoire adopted a satisfied little smile. She raised her bottle of wine.

"Have you got a cork screw for this?" She said.

"Teddy pour the lady a glass of wine," Sid ordered, "And you," He patted the sofa, "Can come and introduce yourself."

Victoire raised her eyebrows as if appalled by Sid's manner, but went over to sit by his side regardless. The brunette folded her arms and glared out of the window, but Sid was oblivious to this as he ended his joint with a tight twist and extracted a shark shaped lighter from his pocket. He lit up his joint and took a slow toke, leaning back against the sofa as he exhaled. They all stared at the impressive stream of smoke billowing from his lips. Sid offered the joint to Victoire.

"Do you smoke the ganja?" He asked in mock mystical tones. Teddy was reminded of his former ancient Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney.

"I do," Victoire replied in a husky voice, playing along, "I seek peace from its burning herbs." She took the joint and presented Sid's watchful eye with a skillful toke.

They both fell in to sudden peals of laughter. Teddy left the room to uncork Victoire's wine in the kitchen. He was searching through his drawers when he heard footsteps behind him. "Your friend seems nice," A smooth French voice remarked.

Teddy turned around, cork screw in hand. "I'm glad you think so," He said.

"You seem a little riled. Something the matter?" Victoire asked sweetly.

"I don't like the way Sid was looking at you," Teddy mumbled, hating himself for admitting it. Victoire was definitely going to think him possessive, when he had no right to be. But she simply smiled.

"A lot of people look at me like that, get used to it," She said, "You have nothing to worry about, Teddy. I came here tonight to spend time with _you_, not some scruffy Cockney with a drug habit."

Teddy felt his lips twitch in to a smile. "Good," He said. He finished uncorking the bottle and made to pour Victoire a glass of wine, but she reached forwards and grabbed the bottle before he could do so.

"Spare the formalities, I just want this part of the night to be over so we can have some _real _fun," She announced. Teddy watched as she poured a great deal of the wine down her throat.

One hour, a bottle of wine, a four pack of beer, and three joints later saw the four of them hailing a taxi outside of Teddy's flat. As soon as they clambered in to the cabs back seat, Sid pulled the brunette girl - who's name they had learnt was Nina - on to his lap and treated her to a noisy snogging session. Teddy watched this with some trepidation. Was Victoire expecting this behaviour from him too, or was it too soon for him to be shoving a tongue down her throat?

He decided on the latter opinion, and so sat awkwardly throughout the whole journey, painfully aware of the occurrence on one side of him and the pale blue eyes of Victoire boring in to him on his other. When the cab finally arrived outside of the club Teddy jumped out first, relieved his ordeal was over. There was already quite a long queue snaking from the entrance, and the four of them silently joined the end of it. "Do you go to many clubs in France, Victoire?" Sid asked conversationally as they stood in the nights humid July air.

"Not really. I prefer bars," Victoire replied, appearing aloof.

It suddenly occurred to Teddy at that moment that Victoire was under aged, and if the bouncer were to demand ID she'd be unable to show him any. If she couldn't get in, where did that leave him? He just hoped that the bouncer would be exasperated enough after such a long line that he wouldn't bother to notice who passed him or not.

"God I wish I had another joint," Sid complained.

"You heavy on that stuff, then?" Victoire said.

"Yeah, it's good shit. Chills you out," Sid grinned.

"That is the usually the desired affect," Victoire said sarcastically. Teddy winced. Had she always been this frosty, or was he just noticing it now in larger company?

"Is it good stuff in France?" Sid demanded to know, as if by hearing a "no" he could attack back.

"Better than over here, I find," Victoire nodded, "I know a really good dealer in France. He's a bit expensive though."

"Do you have to pay him in favours then?" Sid said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Victoire looked at Sid as if she were seeing him for the first time. She glanced him up and down. "_Cette hauteur_," She remarked, her roaming eyes finally came to rest around the region of Sid's groin, "_Vous devez pour cela le manque de longueur*_."

Sid looked appalled, but they had arrived at the door and he had no time to respond as Victoire fluttered her eyelashes at the bouncer and flounced easily inside. Sid grabbed Teddy. "Mate, was she talking about my dick?" He shouted after Victoire's retreating figure, "She better not have been talking about my fucking dick!"

"I'm sure it was nothing like that," Teddy said soothingly, resisting the urge to laugh, "Calm down. Lets go and have a good time."

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*I usually find that Google translator tells you one thing then when you translate sentences back you get another. Victoire was supposed to say, in French, "Such height. You must lack for it in length."


	5. Foreplay

**Warning: This chapter contains an extremely mild sex scene.**

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Teddy knew it had been a bad idea to mix the grass with beer. He should have stuck with one, but Sid had been insistent that they all take a few tokes. Teddy wasn't partial to the drug, he found that it had a bad effect on him, and as he walked in to the dimly lit club this fact became pronounced. The place was already teeming with frantic party goers, and as Teddy passed them he was sure they were all watching him. He could almost _feel_ their gazes scalding him like hot pokers.

Sid wasted no time and leaped straight on to the busy dance floor, dragging Nina along with him. Victoire stayed loyally by Teddy's side. "Shall we get a drink?" She yelled over the pounding music. Teddy nodded and they made their way over to the bar.

They each ordered a vodka and Coke, then proceeded on to the other side of the room where a small cluster of velvet upholstered sofas waited. Victoire delicately sipped her drink, but all Teddy could do was stare manically around the club, his eyes flitting every which way, searching for somebody who was giving him the wrong look. Victoire seemed to understand his anxious demeanour and placed a hand comfortingly on Teddy's knee.

"Relax," She muttered down his ear, "Lets finish our drinks and then have a dance."

Teddy mutely nodded and accepted his drink, which Victoire was thrusting under his nose. Across from them on the opposite sofa sat a dark haired young man, who appeared to be alone. Teddy was aware of him watching Victoire. He glared. "Yes?" He snapped loudly.

The dark haired stranger laughed. "Jesus, chill out. Only having a look, mate," He said.

"Yeah, well fucking don't!" Teddy cried.

"You what?" The Stranger shouted back.

"Teddy, let's just go," Victoire said gently, attempting to prise him from the sofa. Teddy roughly shoved her off. He sprang to his feet, so did the Stranger.

"Alright then, outside, if this is how you want to play it," The Stranger said.

Sid came rushing over. "Hey, hey, what's all this then?" He cried.

"Your mate is a fucking fruit loop," The Stranger spit. As the words left his lips the Stranger seemed to realise something, and a hint of a devious smile curled at the corners of his lips. He froze suddenly, appearing to see something behind Teddy. The Stranger hopped on the spot, "Oh my God, whats that on your shoulder?" He said.

Teddy instantly flinched. Thrown in to panic, he stared around, flapping his hands frantically. The Stranger burst in to laughter. Without warning Teddy had thrown himself forwards and hurled the Stranger against the sofa, almost sending the two of them toppling over the back of it. Screams echoed around them as everybody came to a halt, paralysed to see what would happen next. Two bouncers immediately ran over, each grabbing on to Teddy and dragging him from the room. Sid and Victoire followed.

"And stay out pal!" One of the bouncers boomed, launching Teddy on to the pavement and walking back inside.

"Shit Teddy," Victoire gasped, crouching down to his side.

"You just can't go around doing stuff like that!" Sid added.

"That guy was an arsehole," Teddy muttered. He raised a hand to his throbbing lip and gazed down to see blood running over his fingers.

"I think we had better get you home," Sid suggested with a sigh.

"I'll do it," Victoire volunteered, "Don't stop your night on our account. Go back inside and find Nina."

"Are you sure?" Sid asked. He looked like he desperately wanted to continue the night in the planned way, but he was battling with his instincts to take care of his friend, too.

"I'm sure," Victoire said firmly. Sid shook his head at Teddy before disappearing back in to the club. Victoire pulled Teddy up and began leading them in to a deserted alley. She gripped on to Teddy's arm. "Take us back to your flat," She ordered.

Teddy did as she said. Within seconds they both landed feet first in the middle of his living room. The place still held the distinct fug of cannabis ,and empty beer cans littered the coffee table. Victoire went off to the bathroom and when she returned she held a steaming hot flannel in her hands. She pushed Teddy gently on to the sofa and began tenderly dabbing his lp.

"I'm sorry I acted like that," Teddy sighed, "I'm sorry if I scared you. Grass just has a really bad affect on me, and I didn't like the way that guy was staring..."

Victoire smiled. "I wasn't scared. In fact, I- I was a little turned on," She confessed, light dancing in her eyes.

Inevitably they ended up kissing. Teddy had previously witnessed first kisses to be memorable, gentle moments, but his first kiss with Victoire happened so quickly that neither of them had time to cherish it. The moment had been hanging so obviously in the air that neither of them questioned it. Teddy's lips pressed hungrily against Victoire's, and he felt her teeth gently nibble his lower lip. They pulled back, panting and staring in to each others eyes.

Soundlessly Victoire slipped her hands over Teddy's chest to remove his shirt, and he wound an arm around her waist as they stumbled across the room and in to the adjoining bedroom, still kissing feverishly. Teddy knew that falling in to bed with a girl he had only just met wasn't the proper thing to do, but he was tipsy and stoned, and he had wanted Victoire since the moment he had cast eyes on her. He unzipped her dress and Victoire easily wriggled out of it.

Victoire had a well proportioned body, though admittedly she could have done with a few square meals. Her breasts weren't large but they were perfectly symmetrical. Her ribs were a little too visible and her waist was waspish, as it were regularly forced in to a corset. Teddy began to shower her milky white skin with small, open mouthed kisses, but when he reached her hips Victoire pushed him away.

"You've had a hard night," She said, "Lets make this all about you."

Teddy tried to protest but Victoire pressed a finger against his lips, pushing his down against the pillows. She ran a tongue across Teddy's jaw line, licking his ear lobe then tugging on it with her teeth.

"You're stressed," She muttered softly, "Relax. I want to make you feel good."

The confidence with which Victoire uttered this statement was enough to make Teddy lie back and shut up. They spent the next half an hour doing everything that didn't involve Victoire having to remove her underwear. They ran out of things fast, but when Teddy attempted to repay Victoire she was insistent that they make the night all about him.

Finally, exhausted, they both curled up against each other, sticky and sweaty with the sheets tangled around their limbs. Victoire buried her head against Teddy's chest as she drifted off to sleep, and Teddy spent ten minutes simply watching her body quiver and enjoying the feeling of her warm breath against his skin. It was surprising how natural it felt to be with her this way, Teddy noticed. It was as if they had been an official couple for years.

When Victoire slept she looked like an angel, but Teddy also noticed that she looked slightly disturbed. Something was troubling her, he could tell by the way her body would suddenly twitch, and although she was still she seemed restless in his arms. There was also a crease buried deep between her eyebrows. There was a reason why Victoire had been so reluctant for Teddy to touch her, there had to be. Teddy just wasn't sure what it could be, but he vowed to find out.

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**You might have found yourself surprised by Teddy's sudden outburst, but I didn't want him to be the perfect one in the pairing, I wanted him to be a little unhinged too. I figured that he'd most likely have anger issues, what with the unfair way his parents had died. Leave a review, make my day.**


	6. Morning After

The sound of the bin men's truck crashing through the outside street woke them both the next morning. Victoire unfurled herself from Teddy's arms, stretching and mewing like a cat. Teddy rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had hardly drank a lot the previous night, but he felt like crap. The digital clock flashing at his side informed him that he had exactly forty five minutes to prepare himself for another working day. He groaned, he would have given anything to stay in bed with Victoire instead.

Victoire jumped lightly out of bed and picked her dress up from off the floor. She slipped in to it, scraping her tousled hair back from her eyes. "Thanks for last night," She said, and for once Victoire looked a little shy, "I guess I'll be going now."

"You can stay here today, if you like," Teddy offered, "I don't have a very long shift so you wouldn't be waiting long."

"Oh no, I'll go..." Victoire mumbled.

"C'mon, I make a decent cup of tea," Teddy reasoned, "And I've got a pack of sausages in the fridge with tomorrows sell-by date on them."

Victoire smiled and Teddy knew that he had won. He got up from his bed and walked across the room, stopping to kiss Victoire on the cheek before passing her. Things felt a little awkward between them, he noticed. He wasn't sure what last night had been, or where they stood with each other now, and the only thing he could think to do was make them both some breakfast. Victoire sat patiently on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, watching Teddy as he bustled around, cooking the sausages then wedging them between slices of thickly buttered bread.

"Ketchups in the cupboard if you need it," Teddy said, sliding a plate over to Victoire.

"Thanks," Victoire said. She picked her sandwich up and began nibbling at it slowly.

The clock ticked and the refrigerator hummed. Teddy took a few gulps of his tea. "So, about last night," He said slowly, "It wasn't a great success, I know. I was wondering if you'd like to try it again some time."

"Try what again?" Victoire prompted.

"Going out," Teddy explained, "You didn't see me in the best light last night, but I'm not a bad guy, honestly."

"I know you aren't," Victoire smiled, she began to tear the crusts off of her bread, "Teddy, has anything like that ever happened before? You know, the whole almost knocking a stranger unconscious thing."

Teddy swallowed a large bite of his breakfast. It lodged itself painfully in his throat. "I was a bit... feisty back in my younger days. I was always fighting in the school yard," He said.

"I'm not talking about school boy fights," Victoire said, "I meant serious stuff."

"Well," Teddy paused, wondering if to go on, "Fine. Once."

"What happened?" Victoire demanded to know. Teddy wished that she wouldn't stare at him quite so intently.

"I was a bit drunk - alright, I was wasted," Teddy said grimly, "I can't even remember how it happened. All I know is that one minute I was out having a good time with my mates, the next I was beating some guy in to a pulp. I ended up in the back of a Muggle police van, spent the night in a cell. I wasn't charged, thankfully, but Harry made me go to anger management sessions afterwards."

"So basically you're a bad drunk," Victoire interrupted bluntly.

Teddy frowned. "I have a lot of anger," He confessed, turning around to rinse his tea cup so that he didn't have to face Victoire, "Always have. It just sits in the pit of my stomach, and sometimes it explodes."

"Interesting," Victoire remarked, staring down at her plate and fiddling around with the broken pieces of crust.

"I would never hurt you though," Teddy said adamantly.

Victoire looked up at him. "I'm afraid I can't say the same to you," She confessed sadly.

Teddy opened his mouth. He closed it. He opened it again. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? He glanced up at the wall, saw the time on the clock, and almost had a heart attack. "Shit," He muttered, running off to the bedroom. There was no time to shower, so he simply threw on his work uniform, hoped that the smell of (almost) sex wasn't too strong, and then returned to the kitchen.

"I have to go," He panted, "Help yourself to anything. Do whatever you want. I'll be back at four."

Victoire nodded and smiled at him. Teddy lingered for a moment, wondering if to kiss her, then decided against it and Disapparated on the spot. He landed in the alley near to the department store and from there raced to get to the locker room. Sid was there when he walked inside, slumped on one of the benches. He barely looked up when Teddy appeared.

"Never again am I hitting the clubs when I have work the next day," Sid mumbled.

"Tell me about it," Teddy sighed. He went in to the adjoining wash room to splash his face with some cold water. Sid sloped after him.

"Do you remember much from last night?" He asked hesitantly.

Teddy paused. "Yeah," He said, "And if you don't mind mate I'd rather not talk about it. Too much beer and grass, lets leave it at that."

Sid immediately switched to another subject. "What happened with you and Victoire at your place then?" He said.

"She gave me the best night of my life," Teddy said, allowing himself a grin. Sid let out a sound like a howling wolf.

"Get in there son!" He cried, "The lovely Nina treated me to a night of passion herself."

"You and her an ongoing thing now, then?" Teddy questioned, trying to steer the conversation away from him and Victoire.

"Yeah, for the moment," Sid shrugged, then he suddenly thumped the wall, "Aw shit. We didn't use condoms. What if we get a load of Sidley's and Sidette's running around?"

Teddy laughed. "Then you're fucked, mate. C'mon, we had better get down there before anybody notices we aren't on time," He said.

Sid, who still looked in despair at the prospect of being a father, nodded and mutely followed Teddy out of the washroom.


	7. Treat With Caution

**I'm still not _completely _happy with this chapter, but its got to the point where I can edit it no more. Tell me what you think.**

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Teddy returned to his flat just after ten past four that afternoon. He was exhausted, and if his head had throbbed that morning it was nothing to how it felt now. He craved a large cup of coffee and his bed. Somehow he had forgotten that Victoire would be there, and when he walked in to his bedroom to find her curled up on his bed Teddy almost yelled out loud. He managed to stop himself at the last minute, and instead went over to Victoire and kissed her on the cheek, running a hand through her gleaming hair. She stirred almost immediately.

"Oh, hello," She said, words which were followed by a yawn.

"You look so lovely when you've just woken up, has anybody ever told you that?" Teddy remarked. Victoire grinned.

"Not in living memory, and I'm not sure I would have believed them if they did," She replied, "I don't mean to be rude, but could you take me home now? I should have been back this morning."

"Oh. Right, yeah," Teddy said, "Don't you want to get changed first?"

"I didn't bring any other clothes, so I'm afraid everybody on the beach will know what a dirty little stop out I am," Victoire explained with a grin.

"Off we go then," Teddy announced. He offered out his arm, appreciating the convienience side along Apparation, and Victoire rose gracefully from the bed, picking up her high heels from the floor before grabbing on to him.

Within seconds they had arrived on the beach near Shell Cottage. The waves were washing calmly over the golden sand, whispering and glittering. Victoire walked with her head down, gazing at the gleaming pebbles in front of her as her bare toes squelched through the sand. "I like living here, this near to the sea," She said thoughtfully.

"Its a nice view," Teddy agreed, hands shoved deep in to his pockets as he trod through the sand.

"I think I might sunbathe tomorrow," Victoire pondered, "I'm not sure if my pale complexion has anything to do with being part Veela, but it annoys the hell out of me."

"You're perfect just the way you are," Teddy said softly.

"Why do you have to be so nice, Teddy?" Victoire sighed.

"What's wrong with being nice?" Teddy demanded.

"It makes me feel worse for being a bitch," Victoire explained.

"But you aren't a bitch," Teddy insisted.

"Yes I am. And you'll see that very soon," Victoire assured him.

Teddy shook his head. He really didn't understand Victoire sometimes, she was unlike anybody he had ever met. There was always a warning lying hidden in her words, she always seemed to be advertising the negative aspects of herself. Shell Cottage was in complete view now, and in the garden Teddy could see a little blonde haired boy chasing a red ball.

"Wow, is that Louis? He's grown," Teddy remarked.

"It happens," Victoire said dryly.

"Will your parents mind you being back so late?" Teddy asked.

Victoire shrugged. "There isn't much they can do now, is there?" She pointed out, "But they don't really have the right to control me, not anymore." She twirled on the spot, as if to express her freedom.

"You really just don't care, do you?" Teddy sighed.

Victoire grinned at him. "I'll see you around, maybe drop you a letter," She said.

With another one of her wiggly fingered hand waves, she turned around and began walking away, her high heels still dangling in her hands. Her hair seemed to emit a golden glow as the light from the sun hit it. Teddy felt his chest tighten. Was she always going to make him feel this way, like he was a huge disappointment and that she wasn't as attached to him as he had thought? Would he spend the rest of his life wanting her and watching her walk away?

Bill had appeared in the garden now, and although Teddy couldn't clearly see his expression he knew that Victoire's father wasn't pleased with her. Teddy couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Bill and Fleur, they were good people. Maybe Fleur could grate on peoples nerves sometimes but neither of them deserved to be treated the way they were by their eldest daughter.

And then, as if the red hair had struck something inside of him, Teddy remembered his promise to attend tea time at the Potters. He groaned. All he wanted to do was crawl in to bed, but he knew how much they loved his visits and he didn't want to disappoint Harry and the others. So, praying that he could stay awake and responsive for the rest of the afternoon, Teddy checked that the coast was clear before Disapparating with a pop.

He had to brush sand from his pants as he walked up the Potters front path. As always Teddy let himself in, and the eruption of noise that followed as soon as he stepped over the threshold was nothing he wasn't used to.

"Give that back!" Lily was screeching.

She was stood on the middle of the stairs. At the top was Albus, and at the bottom waited James. Albus held a slightly ragged looking doll in his hands, he threw it, sending it soaring above Lily's head and in to the waiting arms of James. Lily raced to retrieve it, but before she could reach him James had tossed the doll back to Albus again, who promptly returned it to his brother. In all of the commotion none of them had heard Teddy come in. He sighed in exasperation and took two strides forwards, plucking the doll easily form James's hands.

"Leave your poor sister alone, you terrible two," Teddy said, cheerfulness mocking his stern tone.

"I was trying to give it back to her, honest! James put me up to it," Albus called accusingly, glaring down at his elder brother.

"That I can believe," Teddy said.

"Don't go blaming me, you said you were bored!" James cried.

"Can somebody just give me my doll back!" Lily shouted.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" Ginny's voice called. She popped her head around the lounge door and peered in to the hall. She sussed the situation with maternal instinct, rolling her brown eyes. "Really boys, you need to stop teasing your sister," She tutted.

"Yeah, if you want a doll all you have to do is _ask_," Teddy chimed in.

Ten minutes later peace was restored as they all gathered around the small kitchen table, stretched to breaking point. Lily clutched her doll protectively to her chest whilst they tucked in to chicken pie and colossal pile of vegetables Ginny, who was obviously taking after her own mother, had laid out for them. Half way through Harry came walking through the kitchen door.

"Sorry I'm late, had a nightmare day at the office," He muttered, discarding his travelling cloak and plopping down in to a seat.

"Does this mean we can't go and practice flying?" James grumbled.

Harry pulled a plate of pie towards him. "Maybe, mate. Let me see how I feel after dinner," He said wearily.

"Hopeless," James muttered under his breath.

Harry, with what looked like great effort, decided to let his sons insult slide. He instead turned to Teddy. "I heard you had a lodger last night?" He prompted.

"Maybe," Teddy said slowly, "Who said that?"

"Bill told Ron who told me," Harry explained.

"Victoire stayed with you?" Ginny said, her uncanny ability to suss a situation quickly never failing.

"Yeah, she did," Teddy replied, "We went out with a few of my Muggle friends."

"Be careful, Ted," Ginny advised warningly.

"Careful of what?" Teddy sighed.

"Victoire is my niece, and I love her, but that girl is trouble," Ginny said in a low voice, "And trouble isn't exactly what you need."

"Why, because I'm such a bloody psycho?" Teddy snapped. He was tired, a state which always put him in an irritable mood and caused his patience to wear thin. Teddy instantly felt ashamed for raising his voice to a person who had been so good to him over the years and lowered his gaze to his plate.

"Kids if you're finished why don't you go and get ready? I think we will go flying after all," Harry announced. Albus, James, and Lily all grinned eagerly and shot out of the room in an instant.

"Sorry Ginny," Teddy muttered.

"Ted is everything alright? You aren't having any problems with anything, are you?" Harry asked carefully.

Teddy sighed as he set down his knife and fork. "I just think that it's really unfair how people treat Victoire. She isn't all that bad once you get to know her. Can you really blame her for being a little rebellious, shut up alone in that school?" He said.

"Victoire would be in the same situation if she was in France or not," Ginny said firmly, "James only comes home in the holidays but you don't see him giving us grief, do you?"

"Victoire just feels unwanted, that's all," Teddy argued.

"That's understandable, but it isn't an excuse," Harry quipped.

"Are you two a... thing?" Ginny enquired.

"No," Teddy said, "But we get along and she makes me happy, so who knows?"

Harry nodded. "Fine, if you say she's good for you, then we believe you," He said. Ginny raised a sceptical eyebrow but remained silent.

"I'm gonna go," Teddy, "I really need some sleep. Thanks for dinner Ginny, it was delicious."

"You're welcome here anytime, you know that," Ginny said. She stood up to begin gathering plates.

And so, feeling like he couldn't wait another second to get in to bed, Teddy took his leave.


	8. This Be The Verse

**I thought I'd calm things down with a small reflective chapter, just to break the story up a bit. As always tell me what you think.**

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**Teddy woke at midnight after a much needed sleep. He knew that attempting to fall back asleep would be pointless and so, despite the time, he got out of bed to take a shower. After he was done he stepped out of the cubicle and felt the bottom of his foot press down on something relatively spiky. Teddy swore a little and looked down to see a small, silver backed hair brush. He picked it up with a smile, realising that Victoire must have left it behind. A few strands of silvery blond hair were strewn across the bristles. Teddy placed the brush on a shelf for safe keeping.

After changing in to a slouchy pair of pants he made himself a cup of tea and settled himself on the sofa with intentions to watch the television. Unfortunately he found himself faced with channels filled with phone in quiz shows and auctions. With a sigh Teddy switched the TV off and sat in silence. It wasn't long before he found his mind drifting.

As always, when he was bored Teddy started thinking about his parents. There wasn't much to think about really, but Teddy liked to remember in fear of forgetting. Once he had managed to strain his mind far enough back to salvage a single, short memory. He wasn't even sure that it was of his parents but it seemed likely that it was. In the memory warm, motherly arms were coating him, and a mans incredulous voice was saying, "But Dora, surely when I left he was auburn?"

Teddy smiled. Dora, his mother. However he had been told that she preferred to be called Tonks. From her Teddy had inherited his title of Metamorphmagi and, apparently, his friendly and cheerful nature. He wondered what she would have been like as a mother. According to those who had known her, Tonks had been laid back and rather mischievous, so Teddy doubted that she would have been strict. But would she have fussed over him and become worried if he didn't contact her every day? Or would she have encouraged him to spread his wings and experience everything the world had to offer, no matter how far it took him from her?

And the mans voice, it had to be his father. Teddy always found his chest tighten with pride whenever mentions of his father appeared. Remus Lupin had been a werewolf, and had consequently suffered great hardship throughout his life, but Teddy had been assured that his father never allowed his condition to stop him, he had always sought whatever he wanted from the world, getting up every time somebody knocked him down. He had been clever and kind, loyal to his friends. Teddy wondered what it would have been like to spend time with his father, venturing out to Quidditch matches and staying up late in to the night drinking beer together. But then his father had been reserved and bookish, so would they have done these things at all?

And at the end of this reverie Teddy would always come to the same conclusion: he would never truly know the answers to any of his questions, and it was all down to two people.

Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange.

Whenever Teddy heard these names he felt the dragon in the pit of his stomach roar and snarl. He felt such burning hatred it almost consumed him. The two of them had mercilessly killed his parents, they had snatched part of Teddy's life away before he had even had the chance to experience it. Bellatrix was dead now, Teddy would forever feel gratitude towards Molly Weasley for that, but he had no clue as to the fate of Dolohov, though Teddy thought it highly likely that the bastard was dead too. Despite knowing this Teddy could not let his resentment go, his anger would never subside.

It was true that your parents shaped your life, set you up for whatever faults you might possess. They fuck you up, your mum and dad. And Teddy's had done it without even meaning to.

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**The line "They fuck you up, your mum and dad." is taken from Phillip Larkin's poem This Be The Verse (this chapters namesake), which is cynical but I like it.**


	9. Car Crash

**Thanks for all of the further response for this fic, and sorry for taking so long to update. This is a fairly short chapter, but a vital one at that.**

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"If Regina finds out how stoned you are, she's going to kill you. And then fire you," Teddy said.

"Calm the fuck down, Teddy boy. Regina isn't going to fire me. She adores me," Sid quipped.

"You shagged her once, that doesn't mean she adores you," Teddy pointed out.

"Once is all it takes," Sid said with a grin.

The two of them were stood outside of the department store during their usual fifteen minute morning break. Sid was leaning back against the sun kissed brick wall, eyes closed whilst smoke from his joint poured of his mouth, living his usual carefree existence. However Teddy couldn't help but be a little on edge. Although they were around the back of the store and therefore concealed from the general public, Regina, the floor manager, had a habit of appearing when you didn't expect her.

"Fuck it, pass me that joint," Teddy grumbled.

Sid passed what little was left of his joint then straightened up. He took his mobile phone out of his pocket, checked the screen, smiled, and said, "Speaking of people who adore me, Nina wants me to meet her folks."

"I feel for them," Teddy muttered.

"Jesus Teddy, lighten up. I don't think I've seen you crack a single smile all day," Sid remarked.

Teddy was suffereing from the Monday morning blues, made worse by the fact that although he and Victoire had corresponded via letters over the course of the past week, they hadn't actually met up. Teddy was desperate for an excuse to see her. He had never suffered from these sort of withdrawal symptoms before, but Victoire had left him wanting more. He had enjoyed the chase at first but now it was becoming depressing.

"Lets go back inside. The sooner we get the work done, the sooner I can go home to bed," Teddy announced. He carefully discarded of the joint and proceeded to walk back inside to face another four hours of stocking shelves and answering annoying questions.

Sid disappeared off to the kitchen section, whilst Teddy returned to his place in the women's wear department. He began to busy himself rearranging a display of high heeled shoes, which sported a strange pattern in shades of egg yolk yellow and acidic blue. They were messing with his mind. Suddenly Teddy was aware of somebody hovering close behind him. He turned and had to do a double take.

"Did they fall out of a transvestites wardrobe, or something?" Victoire remarked, picking up one of the shoes, "You'd have to be colour blind to want to buy a pair of these."

"What are you doing here?" Teddy cried.

"Thought I'd surprise you," Victoire explained casually. She placed the shoe back on its stand.

"Oh," Teddy said, "Er, how are you?"

Victoire wasn't listening. She was too busy staring at something behind him. "Who's that girl?" She demanded to know.

Teddy turned around to follow Victoire's suspicious gaze. Amelia was stood a few yards away, shooting glances out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, her. That's Amelia," Teddy muttered.

"The one who ignores you?" Victoire prompted.

"That's the one," Teddy said grimly.

Victoire nodded once then began to walk away, taking long, stomping strides. Teddy realised with a start that she was heading straight towards Amelia and quickly chased after her. Victoire stopped by Amelia's side, arms folded, and the other girl turned to look at her.

"Yes, can I help you?" Amelia asked, looking Victoire up and down.

"What is your problem?" Victoire said. She didn't raise her voice, but that only made her seem more threatening.

"My problem?" Amelia repeated, crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side. Victoire wasn't put off by her hostile demeanor and powered on.

"Yes. I've noticed that for the past five fucking minutes you haven't taken your eyes off Teddy once," She snapped.

Amelia let out a cold laugh like tinkling china. "Believe me, I have no interest in looking at Teddy," She snapped back.

"Of course you don't. You seem to prefer acting as if he doesn't exist," Victoire said tartly.

"Whatever. This is really none of your business," Amelia said dismissively.

"It's childish," Victoire accused, "You have no reason to treat him this way."

"I have every reason," Amelia snarled, "I suppose Teddy didn't fill you in on why we broke up?"

Teddy, who had been watching the confrontation from the background, felt his heart skip a beat. He hadn't gone in to detail on why the relationship had ended, preferring instead to emphasise what a bitch Amelia had become instead. He knew that Victoire would be horrified at the truth, but, as is the fate of all dark secrets, it was about to come out. Teddy watched as the scene unfolded like a car crash.

"He punched me. Broke my nose," Amelia said briskly. She gave Teddy a look that stood in the balance of both hatred and disappointment, then walked away, leaving the carnage in her wake. Victoire turned around and stared at Teddy, her mouth slightly hanging open. It took a while for her to speak.

"I liked you, Teddy. I trusted you," She said, swallowing down hard, "I wanted to trust you."

"You can trust me," Teddy insisted beseechingly.

"When I asked you if anything similar to the fight at the club had happened before, you said no. Why did you lie to me?" Victoire said, her voice now loud and angry.

Teddy was aware of the attention their argument was receiving. He stepped forwards. "Not here," He said, voice low, and took Victoire by the arm.

"Get the fuck off me. I can walk myself!" Victoire hissed.

She snatched herself from Teddy's grip. He sucked in a tight breathto calm himself before proceeding across the shop floor.


	10. Caution To The Winds

**Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. But better late than never, right?**

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They settled inside a grubby little café. The table tops were covered in sticky, foreign stains and the grimy windows were steamed up from the coffee and the baking sun outside. Teddy and Victoire sat face to face, tucked away in a corner. Teddy was tearing sugar sachets as he struggled to find the words to begin whilst Victoire stared at him, chewing on her lip. She didn't seem very angry anymore, but Teddy was still afraid of her reaction. A plump waitress scuttled over and attempted to take their orders, but neither of them replied. She took one look at their stony faces, sussed the situation, and tactfully walked away. Victoire sighed softly.

"Teddy, please, just speak," She said, "Just say anything. Explain. Lie. Whatever."

Teddy stared at her. "I'm sorry I never told you about what really happened between Amelia and I. And I'm even more sorry that you had to find out that way," He said finally.

"Just tell me how it happened," Victoire demanded. Teddy swallowed. He wished that Victoire would take her penetrating gaze away from him, it was much harder to talk when he felt as if he were being X-rayed.

"Remember when I told you about that fight I had? The one where I got arrested," Teddy began, and Victoire nodded, he went on, "It happened then. Amelia was trying to calm me down, then somehow we started arguing, and... I just flipped. I never meant to hit her so hard. I never meant to hit her at all, I just wanted her away from me... I didn't tell Harry or Ginny or anyone else about it, I couldn't bear the thought of them knowing that I was capable of such a thing. I couldn't bear seeing the look of disappointment on their faces."

Teddy groaned and buried his head in his hands. He raked his fingers through his hair. Victoire sighed again and reached forwards to place a hand on top of Teddy's hand. "It was an accident, I understand," She said.

"Really?" Teddy whispered, looking up at her.

Victoire looked hesitant. "To tell you the truth Teddy, I couldn't really give a fuck. I came down here today to tell you that... I want to be with you," She let a pause hang in the air as she averted her eyes to the sticky floor.

"But surely you've changed your mind now?" Teddy said, wary.

"No, I haven't," Victoire replied, "Its crazy. I barely know you yet when I'm with you I feel so different. Safe, almost. Its such a cliché," She laughed.

"If thats the way you feel, then I guess you should know that I want to be with you too," Teddy confessed, "Have done since the wedding, actually."

"I'm scared, though," Victoire suddenly blurted, "I'm scared of what I'll do to you. I'm a bitch, I know I am. I lead people astray. I play around with their feelings."

"I don't mind," Teddy said quietly.

Victoire laughed, then she turned serious, "There are things that you don't know about me, Teddy. And I'm not sure yet if I want you to know," She explained.

"You can tell me anything, whenever you're ready," Teddy said.

Victoire smiled. She leaned across the table and Teddy gently placed his fingers beneath her chin, tipping Victoire's face so that you could kiss her lips. All worries and problems dissolved for the moment, and Teddy could have sighed with relief. He knew that neither of them were in any state to forgo a healthy relationship, and certainly not together, but he just didn't care; he was willing to sacrifice himself to heartache.

"So, what do we do now?" Teddy enquired when the kiss finished.

Victoire smiled, with a sly, mischievous look in her eyes.


	11. The Highs And Lows

**Thank you so much for continuing to follow this story guys, it really does mean a lot to know that people actually like my shit. **

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Strobe lights tortured his vision and fast paced music pounded down his ears. Teddy stood in one spot, head thrown back as he slowly twirled through the air, out of sync with everything around him. He was, of course, pilled out of his head, and with his mind the drugs had taken away his senses too. He could have been anywhere, in any universe at any time. The world could have ended and Teddy wouldn't have realized. He laughed for no apparent reason at all.

Victoire had never felt so alive. It had been so long since she had experienced this, experienced the complete exhilaration and freedom that the drugs induced. She missed the nights she had spent partying in underground clubs in Paris, being stringed along by people she barely knew, necking back anything that fell in to her palm. She looked ahead of her and spotted Teddy, lost in a crowd of dancing people. Victoire smiled as she walked towards him.

"Aren't you glad you agreed to this now?" She muttered down his ear. Despite the background noise, Teddy could hear every word she said, ringing clear in his head like bells. He didn't feel so disorientated anymore.

Teddy pulled Victoire in to his arms, pressing her against his sweating skin. Their lips met and hungrily they devoured one another. Victoire's hands slipped up the back of his damp shirt. "Lets go," Teddy whispered down her ear.

Nobody even noticed the two of them suddenly disappearing in to thin air. They landed shakily inside Teddy's flat. "I need water," Victoire gasped suddenly. She rushed towards the kitchen.

When Teddy caught up with her she was already gulping down a glass of cold water. "Are you alright?" Teddy said anxiously.

Victoire smiled. "Never better. Just, you know, a bit..." But she didn't get a chance to reply as Teddy pounced on her again. The glass fell to the ground where it shattered, sending tiny shards of glass spitting around the room. This however went ignored as Teddy tugged Victoire out of the room. Victoire, realising his intentions, released herself from Teddy's grip.

"Whats wrong?" Teddy asked.

Victoire shook her head. "I'm tired," She said.

"You don't have to do anything at all," Teddy promised, drawing Victoire back in to his arms so that he could mutter down her ear, "I want to repay you for the other night."

"I don't want repaying," Victoire snapped, pushing Teddy away.

"What is it, Victoire?" Teddy demanded to know, "Whats the problem?"

"I told you before," Victoire muttered, rubbing a palm over her face, "There are things about me that I'm not ready to reveal to you yet."

She made to walk away, but Teddy gripped her arm. "I wish that you would," He whispered, his tone beseeching, "Whatever it is, I'll listen. I care about you. I want to know." Victoire still didn't look convinced, so Teddy tried again, "I told you my secrets, Victoire. And I'm not saying that you owe me anything, but it'd be nice if you could return that trust. I think it will help us."

Victoire sighed. "Its hard. I've never told anybody before," She said.

"Come on," Teddy said, offering her his hand, "Lets go to bed. We'll just cuddle, I promise."

Victoire hesitated then she nodded. They went in to the bedroom, stirpping to their underwear as they walked through the door, and Teddy switched off the light as they climbed on to the bed. He pulled Victoire on to his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her. They both sat in silence for a moment, their hearts still throbbing like hummingbirds as they came down from their highs.

"Are you ready?" Teddy whispered.

"Okay," Victoire whispered back, "But you can't interrupt. If you do I might not carry on."

"I won't interrupt," Teddy promised, "I'll just listen."

"Good," Victoire said. She took a deep breath.


	12. Monsters In Paris

**Muahaha. I'm a bad person, sorry. But _finally _I bring you the chapter that reveals all. Its pretty dialogue heavy, and some people might find the content upsetting but I've kept it all quite vague. If you don't hate me too much leave a review.**

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Teddy didn't know exactly how long Victoire left him waiting as she found the words to begin her story, but it felt like a life time. He sat there in the dark with all of the worst case scenarios running through his mind, willing her to begin but knowing that he couldn't rush her. Finally he heard Victoire suck in a steadying breath.

"It happened last year, just after I went back to start a new year at Beauxbatons," Victoire began, "My friend, Melody, has a cousin who used to take us to all of the best Muggle clubs in Paris. Mostly underground or pop up, you know, the dodgy sort. But what did I care about danger? I loved it," She laughed, the sound hollow and scathing, "Anyway there was this one place we went to, and as soon as I walked in I noticed a Muggle guy watching me, but I was used to that, so I thought nothing of it. But as the night went on I realised that he didn't take his eyes off me once. He finally introduced himself, bought me a drink, and we danced.

He asked me back to his place. I'm not sure how old he thought I was, though I doubt that it would have mattered to him. I was scared but I told myself to grow up. So I went back with him," Victoire paused and Teddy realised that she was beginning to cry. He traced small circles on her skin with his fingertips, kissing her shoulder.

Victoire went on. "It was really dark inside and it smelt awful, I knew something wasn't right, but I didn't know how to get away so I just went with it. He poured me a glass of wine and looking back now I think he slipped something in it, but I can't be sure. By the time we finished the whole bottle I was well and truly wasted. He tried to kiss me but I didn't want him to.

I pushed him away but that only made him angry, and that's when it happened. When he attacked me. I was still a virgin when it happened. The details are blurry now but the one thing I'll never forget is the pain. It was awful, the worst I'd ever felt in my life. And when it was over... I just cried and cried. He simply threw my clothes back at me and told me to get out."

"Oh God," Teddy whispered to himself. Victoire was shaking with long, deep sobs, clutching handfuls of her silvery hair in despair.

"I didn't know what to do," She wailed.

"I am so sorry, Victoire. I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Teddy said. He felt sick, hot all over. He felt ashamed for ever trying to get Victoire to sleep with him. He never would have forced anything on her if she'd have told him sooner, he never would have tried to make her tell her story either. But now the damage was done and Teddy felt terrible.

"But that's not all," Victoire croaked, "It happened again."

"What?" Teddy gasped, "You mean he...?"

"No, not him. Somebody else," Victoire sighed as she dabbed her eyes on the quilt, "This time it was at a house party. I was just beginning to feel like myself again, like I could have fun and trust people. And this guy was so nice, so completely different from _him_. He never came across as sleazy or dangerous. We spoke all night, we hardly even drank.

We went upstairs to a bathroom and we were just kissing for a while when he started taking things further. Obviously I tried to stop him, but he pushed me to the ground and told me to stop acting, he said he'd heard all about me and knew 'what kind of girl I was'. And so it happened again," Victoire's voice was little above a whisper, "I didn't tell anybody, though I knew at that point I should have. I just couldn't put up with the shame; I was just another stupid teenager at a party, another weak girl who let a boy lead her astray."

"No, Victoire, you weren't," Teddy said firmly, "It wasn't your fault. You tried to trust somebody and they took advantage of you."

"Exactly," Victoire sighed, "Do you see now? Do you see why I can't..."

"I would never, ever do that to you!" Teddy cried.

Victoire shook her head. "Its not that I don't believe you, I just can't risk being that vulnerable again. Not with you, not with anybody. I'm sorry," She replied.

"Don't be sorry," Teddy sighed, "It isn't your fault."

"Promise me you won't tell anybody?" Victoire pleaded, turning around to look Teddy in the eyes.

"I promise," Teddy said firmly, then slowly he added, "But maybe _you _should. You can get help."

"I don't want help, alright? I don't want anything," Victoire argued.

She slipped from Teddy's lap and crossed the bedroom to pick up her coat. She rifled through the pockets until she found a crumpled packet of cigarettes. Without a backwards glance at Teddy she slipped from the room. Teddy didn't follow her, he lay back on the pillows and tightly closed his eyes. All he could see were images of what Victoire had described. He felt his fingers curl in to fists. He wanted to go out and track those bastards down, make them suffer like they deserved.

Victoire didn't return until much later. She silently crawled back in to bed besides Teddy, reeking of cigarette smoke. Teddy felt her hand creep across to find his, firmly locking their fingers together. Teddy hardly slept all night, and he doubted that Victoire did either, though neither of them spoke. When it came time for Teddy to rise for work, Victoire was finally asleep. He tried not to wake her as he separated their hands and gently kissed her on the forehead.

When he finally got in to work Teddy felt like death. He sloped in to the locker room where Sidney was already stowing away his bag. He turned to face Teddy with a grin. "Whoa, you look like shit mate. Did Victoire keep you up all night?" He said.

Teddy ignored him.

Sidney leaned against the row of lockers. "How is she in the sack anyway?" He asked conversationally.

A seething rage surged its way through Teddy's veins. He rounded on Sidney, grabbing his friend and throwing him against the lockers with a clang. Teddy gripped Sidney by the throat, ever so slightly throttling him. Sidney gasped for breath.

"Teddy, mate..." He whispered.

"Sorry," Teddy said, his voice emotionless as he dropped Sidney, letting him slide down the wall.

"What the fuck was that about?" Sidney cried, angry himself now as he rubbed his neck, "Dickhead."

He shoved past Teddy out of the room. Teddy turned to speak, but felt his voice catch in his throat as he saw Amelia lingering in the doorway. She shook her head in disgust and disappeared. Teddy swore under his breath, kicking the nearby bench in rage.


	13. Rollercoaster

Every now and then Teddy would take the bus home from work in hopes of strengthening the illusion that he was Muggle. However this form of travel took a lot longer than simply Disapparating, and by the time Teddy got home he was well and truly tired. The day had turned out to be one of his worst. Sidney hadn't spoken to him and Amelia had shot him filthy looks every time they had crossed paths.

teddy slumped up the steps inside the main hall way, all the way up to his flat on the top floor. He slipped a key in to the lock and entered. Teddy froze on the spot. Had he got the wrong door?

The flat was filled with people, none of whom Teddy knew. Music was blaring and it took a few moments before Teddy realised that he had walked in to a party. He pushed through the throng, horrified to see that his flat was a wreck. People turned to stare at him, obviously unaware that he was even the owner. "Who the hell are you?" Teddy cried to the crowd.

"Ah, here he is, _my man_," A slurred voice sounded. Victoire appeared, staggering forwards with a bottle of wine clutched in her hand and a strange smile on her lips. Her hair was escaping from the messy bun on top of her head and one shoulder of her dress was hanging down.

"Victoire what the fuck is going on?" Teddy snapped.

Victoire giggled. "Its a party!" She exclaimed, raising her wine bottle in the air.

"I want them all out," Teddy snarled. He began removing the cups and bottles from peoples hands as they passed.

"Don't be a bore," Victoire hissed.

"Don't argue with me Victoire, I'm not in the mood. I want them all out," Teddy repeated, "Where did you find them all, anyway?" He demanded to know.

Victoire shrugged. "Anywhere. They're just people. _Fun_ people," She muttered. She took a large gulp of wine.

Teddy watched her, feeling rage creep up inside him like scuttling insects. He dropped the cups to the floor and stepped over them, shoving past Victoire on the way. He found the source of the music, his old stereo, in the corner of the living room, and wrenched the plug from its socket. The whole place was instantly drenched in silence.

"Everybody out!" Teddy roared. A tidal wave of people began to mutter as they rushed out of the flat. Victoire watched them go with a scowl on her face. She stepped up to Teddy, shoving him hard in the chest with her hands.

"Fuck you!" She cried.

Nostrils flaring, Victoire walked away in to the kitchen where she began to pour herself a fresh drink from the collection of assorted bottles on the side. Teddy stormed over and snatched them from her, roughly shoving all of the bottles to the floor with his arm. "What the fuck is all of this about? Didn't you think to run it by me first? Start explaining," He ordered in a deadly low voice.

Victoire glared. "I don't have to explain anything to you, asshole," She spit.

Teddy suddenly lunged, their faces so close that their noses almost touched. "Why did you do it?" He screamed.

Victoire flinched. Her face crumpled as tears sprung from her eyes. Teddy took a step back, smoothing his fingers through his hair.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Victoire. I didn't mean to yell like that," He muttered.

Victoire shook her head as she became more upset. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," She sobbed, "We were getting so close. I was beginning to trust you. I had to find a way to drive us apart, to break the trust. Make you hate me." She clasped a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stem the sobs. Teddy felt tears form in his own eyes as he threw his arms around Victoire's trembling body, hugging her tightly to his chest.

"Ssh," He whispered, "Its alright. Everythings alright."

"Its not, its not," Victoire wailed.

"I know that people have hurt you Victoire, but your safe now. You don't have to be alone anymore. You have me now," Teddy said.

Victoire sniffed. "Do you really believe that, Teddy? Do you think we really have a good future together?" She asked.

"Of course we do," Teddy said, allowing himself a smile, "You just have to try and let this go. We can be happy."

"I suppose," Victoire sighed, smiling back, then she took a look around the room, "Maybe we should begin by... Tidying up?"

Teddy winced as he looked at the debris from the party, scatted around his flat. He nodded. "Good idea," He said, drawing out his wand and giving it a few flicks. The rubbish quickly disappared as the flat quickly rearranged itself back to normal.

"By the way," Victoire said, wiping away the tears from her cheesk as she strode over to the living room and began rummaging around in the cabinet, "Harry sent you a letter this morning. I put it away here for safe keeping until you got back."

She crossed the room again and passed the letter over. Teddy opened it up. "We're invited for tea tomorrow," He announced.

"So they know that I'm here then. Do we tell them that we're... Together?" Victoire said, biting her lip.

"Is that what you want?" Teddy enquired, winding an arm around her waist.

"It would be a step towards trying to be normal," She said. Teddy laughed.

"Normal," He repeated, as if it was the most ridiculous word he had ever heard, "Fine then. We'll tell them." He concluded, kissing the top of Victoire's head.

Teddy felt dizzy, like he was riding a constant rollercoaster. He could hardly keep up with the mood swings in their relationship. It couldn't be healthy, but he knew that one day it would all be worth it.

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**I have such huge plans for this story guys, possibly pushing towards a sequel, but only if I get your support! Let me know what you make of the overall plot, do you like what I've done with the characters of Teddy and Victoire? Your opinion truly does matter.**


	14. Ziggy Stardust

**I am so, so sorry to have kept you all waiting this long for an update. My laptop died on me and it took longer than I thought for it to be fixed, and then FanFiction decided to take the piss that little bit more by not letting me edit my stories for days. But ah well, here we are! Can I just add that I was stunned to find forty one FanFiction e-mails from my time away, obviously not all are for this story alone but I'd like to thank everyone anyway for their loyalty and support.**

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July quickly slipped by, and before he knew it Teddy found himself in the midst of August. Victoire had more or less moved in with him, something her parents had allowed to happen only because they knew that it would be pointless to try and control anything in their daughters life anymore. It soon became general knowledge in the family that they were together. The first people Teddy and Victoire personally told were Harry and Ginny.

"Well I won't pretend I didn't see it coming," Ginny said in an off-hand sort of way.

"If its what you want," Harry had added, staring at Teddy in a meaningful sort of way. Out of the eye shot of Victoire, Teddy winked.

"I hope you're both very happy together," Ginny smiled. This came as a relief to Teddy, who had expected Ginny to be cynical about the news. The children, quickly realising the prospect that Teddy might one day officially join their family, were happier than anyone, though Lily did glance at Victoire with slightly jealous eyes.

"Don't worry Lil," Teddy had whispered to her when everyone else was out of earshot, "You're still my favourite."

It became apparent almost right away that it wasn't to be the most conventional of relationships. In the month that had passed there had been no changes so far; they were both still prone to the unexpected, dramatic outburst, arguments were still erupting all over the show, and they were yet to sleep together, though now that Teddy knew the truth he had too much respect for Victoire to demand anything from her. Things weren't perfect, but all in all they were happy.

Having being wrapped up in each other for so long, existing in their own fragile bubble, it came as a shock when a Hogwarts letter eventually found itself in Victoire's posession. It was a somewhat unpleasant jolt back to Earth, and Victoire preferred to ignore it, not bothering to open the letter until during breakfast a few days later. She scanned the book and equipment list the school had sent her without much enthusiasm.

"I don't want to go," She complained sulkily, "I'd much rather just drop out now."

"I think you should go, for your parents sake. They've already been pretty lenient letting you stay here," Teddy pointed out.

"So basically you're saying I'd be taking the piss a bit if I didn't go?" Victoire said, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Precisely," Teddy said, "Besides, its important for you to get a good education. You can't expect to get a decent job later otherwise."

Victoire sighed. "Fine, you're right, I'll go. We'll need to take a trip to Diagon Alley, though," She said.

"We can go today, I'm not working," Teddy said. He knew that the longer they put the moment off, the more likely Victoire was to change her mind.

"I suppose," Victoire said, looking less than excited, "I'll write to my parents to send the Gringrotts key for our vault."

It had been such a long time since Teddy had been to Diagon Alley - his semi-permanent settlement in the Muggle world meant that he hardly ever required something that could only be bought there - that it took him a while to even find the Leaky Cauldron, and when he did so it was a struggle to remember the brick sequence that would admit him and Victoire inside.

Victoire perked up once they had stepped through the wall. She gazed at everything around her, her head almost doing full turns, drinking in every colour and sound around her. Teddy laughed at her. "Is this your first time here?" He asked.

"No, I've been a few times when I was younger. Its just been a while," Victoire explained. She tried to sound casual but she couldn't quite prevent herself from acting like a small child who had found herself lost in Neverland.

Teddy took it upon himself to make sure that Victoire went straight to the bank to retrieve her gold. He tried to keep Victoire on track with her list, but everything around them seemed to provide some sort of distraction. Teddy turned around at one point to find that Victoire had completely disappeared from his sight. He spotted her a few yards away, chatting to a street vendor. As Teddy made his way over, he saw Victoire stuff a leaflet in to her pocket.

"What was that leaflet about?" Teddy asked her suspiciously as Victoire came walking back to him.

"What leaflet?" Victoire said.

"The one you just took from that vendor," Teddy said, irritated and confused as to why Victoire was trying to pretend she hadn't taken anything at all.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Victoire shrugged, she tossed back her golden hair, "Whats next?" She said, nodding towards the list in Teddy's hands. Teddy raised an eyebrow but decided to drop it. He consulted the list.

"Pets," He announced, "You should get an owl, they're really useful."

"I was thinking of getting a cat," Victoire argued, "It can keep me company better than an owl can."

Teddy grinned. "Is this you sort of admitting that you'll miss me?" He said.

"No! I meant..." Victoire scowled, "Oh all right, fine, I'll miss you. Will you miss me?" She tucked herself beneath Teddy's arm.

"Every day," Teddy muttered, kissing her shiny blond hair.

"Oh get a room, will ya?" A gruff voice snapped from behind them, "And get outta me way, I've got places to be!" An extremely irritable looking man carrying a tall stack of parcels pushed through them. Victoire giggled.

They quickly walked over the road to Magical Menagrie (?) to inspect the kittens bouncing around in a cage by the window. They were all different colours, but Victoire instantly set her sights on a pure, pearl white one, who's very fur seemed to be emitting a pale glow. It had the most bewitching blue eyes.

"I'm not sure you can take a kitten," Teddy said.

"It'll grow in to a cat, won't it?" Victoire pointed out. Teddy had to laugh.

"If you insist," He said. He caught the attention of the shop keeper, and gestured for her to come over. She did so, extracting a long golden key from her pocket and unlocking the cage. Victoire immediately scooped up the white kitten.

"I'd like to take this one, please," She announced.

"A fine choice! He's a beauty, this one," The shop keeper smiled, scratching the excited kitten behind its tiny ear.

"What are you going to call him?" Teddy asked Victoire as they made their way over to the counter to pay.

"I call him Ziggy. Ziggy Stardust," The shop keeper said over her shoulder, with a small blush, "My dads Muggle born you see, always had a fondness for David Bowie, he did."

"Ziggy. Its cute," Victoire remarked. She kissed the kitten on top of its small head and it mewed appreciatively.

"Let me buy him for you," Teddy offered, "A going away present, say."

Victoire eyed him from behind the tufts of Ziggy's white fur. "Are you sure?" She said.

"He can be a replacement for me whilst you're away," Teddy said jokingly.

"A replacement? Maybe I should have picked up the scruffy one that was pining for my attention then," Victoire grinned.

After Teddy had payed for Ziggy, and the kitten was safely tucked away in a small metal cage which Victoire carefully carried through the busy streets, they decided to stop in the Leaky Cauldron for drinks before they returned home. Teddy watched while Victoire laughed as Ziggy bounced across the polished table, the gentle glow of the candle light softening her smile, and he felt so awed by her that he completely forgot about the leaflet and anything that had ever bothered him in life before.

His only pain was the thought that Victoire would soon be leaving him.

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**Not gonna lie, I feel like this was a little shakey. I think I need time to get the feel of the story again. Reviews are appreciated.**


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